With the amount of money in English football making it such an attractive proposition for those from outside these shores and with more arrivals to the Premier League from abroad, it is not a surprise that many of this country's young talents are heading abroad to get more game time.
The most highly documented of late, Jadon Sancho, took the risk to leave Man City and head to Bundesliga giants, Borussia Dortmund and it didn't take long for the young winger to start leaving his mark on Germany with 12 appearances in his first season at the club, aged just 17! He has since gone on to play 129 games for Dortmund as well as earning multiple England call-ups he is and is now highly coveted by many English clubs who will have to pay upwards of £100 million.
With Birmingham in financial difficulties and key player Jude Bellingham attracting many clubs across Europe, it was best for both parties to let the then 16-year-old sensation leave his boyhood club. Despite the offers from Premier League clubs such as Manchester United, the midfielder, like Sancho, chose to leave England in the search of increased game-time at a high level and he has certainly achieved that. Unlike actual United signing, Van De Beek, the Birmingham fan has featured regularly with 30 games, appearing in every Champions League game.
Only more recently getting the recognition he deserves thanks to his Champions League goal against Lazio, Jamal Musiala is another player that has been in the English academies and ended up in Germany playing for a first team. The attacking midfielder who had been at Chelsea since 2011 joined Bayern Munich for first team action, featuring 16 times in the Bundesliga with three goals, at just 17! Despite pledging his allegiance to Germany, the attacking midfielder is another example of England losing out due to a lack of giving chances to the youth.
Now there are many examples of players leaving England, with Nelson, Smith-Rowe and Sessegnon all going out on loan to Germany to become regular features for some of the biggest clubs in the world, but why? Why do they not get the same opportunities in England but show their true talents in other countries? One of the reasons has to be the pressure managers are under to get results and so don't trust in their youngsters to deliver straight away, resulting in a lack of game time. Many youngsters look really good in the Under 23s but are still loaned to a lower league side and often seemingly never heard of again. Moving abroad, there's the promise of more game time and being able to train with the better players that offer extra incentives to the youngsters to improve. However, if the talent is evident and the potential is known then surely the clubs in England have to spot this and not let them leave only for them to stand out abroad.
With Sancho now commanding a massive transfer fee, is it not time for us to trust in youth more? Declan Rice's price tag recently put the Chelsea board off going back in for a player they had let go from their academy and was a factor in their disagreement with Frank Lampard, which ultimately led to a parting of the ways. Chairmen, please don't forget what the fans sing... "He's one of our own, he's one of our own".
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